Bryan Clay (USA) has an absolutely commanding lead in the Heptathlon competition having scored 3736 total points after day one, 174p more than Roman Sebrle (CZE), who is in 2nd place with 3562p.
The American did not surrender too many points in the High Jump where he only missed his personal best by 1cm setting a season’s best 2.09m, the 4th SB in as many events. Clay will win the competition without a disaster in some of the tomorrow’s three events. He is the fastest hurdler in the field and a very good pole vaulter so his lead before the 1000m race should be very comfortable.
Roman Sebrle is in 2nd place, but the Czech has to be alert tomorrow because Andrei Krauchanka (BLR), 3rd with 3473p, and Dmitriy Karpov (KAZ), 4th with 3423p, the joint world leaders, are very good during day two. Sebrle did very well after a disappointing 60m and continued good pace in the high jump where he finished with a 2.12m season’s best. 33-year-old Sebrle, who had his best indoor high jump since 1999, has struggled with 60m hurdles and Pole Vault this season and needs to better this time to prevent Krauchanka and Karpov overtaking him. Belarussian Krauchanka was the best of the field in High Jump with a 2.15m clearance, only 1cm below his season’s best. Karpov survived an early scare clearing his opening height 1.94m only with his third and last attempt and then went on to jump 2.06m in the competition.
Andres Raja (EST) dropped expectedly to fifth place with 3372p and Donovan Kilmartin (USA) is 6th with 3340 total points. Russian Mikhail Logvinenko is 7th with 3290p and countryman Aleksandr Pogorelov dropped off the competition before shot put.
Competition continues tomorrow with the 60m Hurdles where competition leader Bryan Clay holds the world best in Heptathlon with 7.74s clocking in February 2008.
Projected final scores (using season’s best):
Bryan Clay SB 6192 - projected 6344 +152p
Dmitriy Karpov SB 6229 - projected 6195 -34p
Andrei Krauchanka SB 6229 - projected 6160 -69p
Mikhail Logvinenko SB 6129 - projected 6065 -64p
Andres Raja SB 5949 - projected 6019 +70p
Roman Sebrle SB 5892 - projected 5993 +101p
Donovan Kilmartin SB 6008 - projected 5943 -65p
Mirko Jalava for the IAAF
